MUSIC WEEK JANUARY 31, 1976

0 n

Exploitation Si a thing TOP 10 "Music is going back to what i OVER THE last 20 years, used to be. People are holding trumpeter has spent each other while they dance tor 1 A LOVE SUPREME - John a great deal of time and effort in the first time in 20 years. Music is Coltrane, Impulse elevating the status of black music, becoming more sophisticated an achieving respect for it as a vital polished - you wear rlunestoncs 2 KOLN CONCERT - Keith Afro-American art form and doing and studs today instead of tuxedos Jarrett, ECM a tremendous amount to see that and tails. those who contribute the most to "Music's future is m the 3 TOWN HALL CONCERT - the music also derive the most discotheques, with live bands with unissued parts — Louis benefit. strong visual appeal and kids Armstrong, RCA He has been in the forefront of discovering how to dance wi t the move to introduce black music each other again. 4 BASIE JAM AT MONTREUX studies as a fundamental part of "Also the days ot tnc — , Pablo the musical curriculum of colleges poverty-stricken musician arc over. and universities. He has a bachelor Jazz musicians and college 5 JAZZ AT THE OHIO UNION of music degree, a master's degree facilities who look down their — George Lewis, Storyville in music education and a PhD in >o noses at the music are way out ol 6 TRIDENT - McCoy Tyner. college teaching and administration touch. How can you ignore the Milestone from the Columbia University existence of a multi-billion dollar School of Education. For six years 7 AGHARTA — , he was chairman of the black industry? Studio musicians today ~T". are the highest paid musicians in CBS music department of Howard the world and they deserve to be University in Washington D.C. treated with respect. 8 UNDER MILKWOOD - Stan And now, at 43, this former "The days of exploitation ot Tracey, Steam Jazz Messenger, this son of a methodist minister, finds himself black musicians arc over now. 9 MOBIUS - Cedar Walton, They are controlling their own RCA cast in the unlikely roll of a major destinies at last. People like Herbie disco artist. Hancock and are 10 RAPPORT - Billy Butterfield, "And it's all because I set out producers in their own right as Dick Wallstood (77) to leach my students about jazz; well as musicians; and more and but they finished up teaching me more musicians are running their (Based on sales by Doug Dobell, about rock," says Byrd. own publishing companies. Charing Cross Road, London, Donald Byrd has been a Blue "I have contracts with Blue WC1) Note artist for more than 20 years Notes.. Warner and Fantasy I m - rare loyalty where jazz music is a producer and I head a publishing concerned - but it was not until company. And what is also new is he directed his energies towards a the amount of money I make'" synthesis of jazz and rock that he Last September Byrd started to move into the higher introduced a legal course as part sales echelons. Today his albums of the music curriculum of the sell anything up to 250,000 a North Carolina Central State time, in his earlier Blue Note days Donald Byrd reieasedl he counted himself lucky to sell Perspective" got into the Top 50 ranks. Now the rock people arc University. "Musicians have to 10,000. Nevertheless, two of his and "Christo Redento" has since the ones who arc having all the know about contracts and influence. And with the new copyrights," he points out. "If Blue Note albums from the sixties been the theme for dozens of they don't they get exploited. - "A New Perspective" and "I'm religious shows. music, everyone has his own Great men like W. C. Handy, FIVE ALBUMS recorded at last Try in' To Get Home" - in which Byrd is not unused to being put conception. You can't sit in any Louis Armstrong and Duke year's Nice Jazz Festival have been he combined jazz with choral down. He got plenty of criticism more. If today's young musicians Ellington were always against this issued on the new Mahogany label singing arc still regarded as when he "polluted" the jazz jam, they have to play the music exploitation - but they never created by Pierre Voran and Henri significant landmarks in the stream by bringing in rock we were playing 20 years ago." voiced objections. All that has Dufresnc who arc based in Nice. evolution of black music. In fact elements. "But I could sec that Byrd is totally unrcpcntcnt The label has been acquired "Christo Redcntor" from the this was the way the music was about his "crossover conversion" changed now." because he claims that he is still Among all the pluses in Byrd's for France by Barclay Records. Perspective album is still one of going," he says. life right now there is at least one The five ablums arc "The the most popular pieces of black Byrd flies right in the face of a playing authentic black music. Many Faces Of Dorothy music in the US. great body of jazz opinion when "Contemporary jazz/rock is more minus he is losing his facility to "Everybody put me down when he claims that the last ten or 15 soulful, earthy, basic and play straight ahead Donegan"; "Jive At Five" with I did those albums," says Byrd. years have been among the most fundamental than jazz. I've been "un-crosscd-over" jazz. Buddy Talc, Doc Cheatham, Vic "It took me three years to talk interesting in jazz history. "I have listening to Aretha Franklin and "I played my first jam session Dickcnson and John Guarnieri; Blue Note into doing them — and never known a period before when James Brown and they really blew in six years in North Carolina and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis with the then when they came out Down there were no jam sessions. And it my mind. This is bluesy, it scared the hell out of me. I Michel A11 e n o u x O r chcstra; Beat lore me to pieces." is almost 20 years since a real elementary music and is basic to don't think I could play something Sammy Price; and the Vic Nevertheless "A New leader emerged from the jazz the Afro-American tradition. like 'Donna Lee' now if I tried." Dickcnson Quartet. irate EDITED Ciiiier by MIKE HENNESSEY 0 doubles ATLANTIC IS launching a major rce Jazz by Ornette Coleman, product, such as that by J^n jazz campaign, "That's Jazz" on Blues and Roots by Charlie Hammer, Les McCann; Stanley April I with the release of 20 Mingus, Soul Brothers by Ray band size Clarke, Eddie Harris, Jean-Luc albums from the Atlantic and Charles and Mill Jackson, The Jazz Ponly and Billy Cobham. JAZZ COMPOSER and bassist Warner catalogues, Messengers with Art Blakey and "Secondly we are building a Graham Collier has augmented his Ncsuhi Ertegun, president of Thclonious Monk, Inflated Tear ,c sextet to a 12-piecc orchestra for WEA International, says that the by Roland Kirk and West Coast good relationship with tl campaign is one of the most specialist record shops. We have which he has written a whole new Jazz by Shorty Rogers. also issued a separate jazz library. Soloists in the band ambitious in the company's Other jazz artists featured will include trumpeter Harry Beckett, AMERICAN keyboard artist Paul liistory. A further ten albums will be Mose Allison, Freddie Hubbard, catalogue, which can be used as a trombonists Derek Wadsworlh and Bley, who is a&r director of the be released in September and the MJQ, Woody Herman. Erroll merchandising give-away or as an Malcolm Griffiths and record production company, insert in jazz magazines. another five in November- Garner, Lennie Tristano and Lei saxophonists Art Themen, Alan Improvising Artists Inc., based in Later releases will include Konitz. "We undertake regular Wake man and Michael Page. Also New York, is planning to visit previously unreleascd masters from advertising campaigns for jazz in Says ^ Dave Clipshan of e on is Pete Duncan from Europe this year with a package of the extensive Atlantic and Warner Atlantic's creative services the specialist press and in lh the National Youth Jazz artists who are fey lured on the archives and the whole campaign wider music trade press - and we label. department: "Through close to help gain extra mileage for jazz Orchestra. will be heavily supported by thirty years of Atlantic's existence, vc Joining Collier in the rhythm The company has a repertoire merchandising, press and jazz has always been a vital part of pr od uc t by i magina t i section are pianist Roger Dean, of seven albums to date, featuring advertising. the company's expansion, with repackaging of albums, such as the guitarist Ed Speight, drummer Jimmy Giuffrc, Bill Connors, John The campaign will be geared interest permeating down from the 'Art of .. scries (which was John Webb and percussionist John Gilmore, Gary Peacock, Lee not only to the jazz market but to very lop levels of management. world-wide) and the European Mitchell. Konitz and Bley himself. a wider range of record buyers. In Britain the market for jazz 'Jazz Express' series. The new band made its public Bley has already fixed The albums will have a is generally accepted as being "The new 'That's Jnzz debut with a broadcast on French distribution for the label in recommended retail price of campaign has been originated m radio Jan 26 and will be recording Scandinavia, through Phonogram, £2.99. limited but we aim to bring jazz the UK fur use across Europe and for Collier's own Mosaic label later and in France through Soul Among the first releases will be sales to the highest possible level . Jtrst by achieving a crossover with the aim of re-presenting some this year. Posters of Paris. Giant Steps by John Coltrane, 3 olhcr of the quintessential albums in the markets with jazz rich Atlantic catalogue " PAGE 22